Mparrettati with fresh tomato sauce, an ancient dish of the Calabrian tradition

It's made with a very thin stick taken from a wild plant, typically harvested in coastal areas. A first course that can also be enjoyed with salted ricotta.

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Calabrian recipes
  • Preparation time: 1 hours 
  • Cooking time: 10 minutes
  • difficulty: low

From region to region, there are countless ancient recipes tied to tradition that have made Italian cuisine famous throughout the world. Simple dishes, made with humble ingredients like those our grandmothers had available, always careful to avoid any waste in the kitchen. Recipes passed down from generation to generation, such as Calabrian mparrettati, a typical first course from the province of Catanzaro, a true regional delicacy made with durum wheat semolina flour and water, without the addition of eggs. homemade pasta, handmade with a truly unique kitchen utensil: a very thin stick taken from a wild plant and typically harvested near the sea. Essential for defining the mparrettati, it can sometimes be difficult to find, so a fairly thin knitting needle can be used instead.

Calabrian recipes

A typical Sunday lunch recipe, mparrettati require a little patience to prepare, but once ready, you'll discover their extraordinary aroma and flavor. Enjoy them with fresh tomato sauce (we're in season, so make the most of it) or, depending on your taste, with spicy sausage or 'nduja sauce, two traditional Calabrian variations. And don't forget to garnish the dish with a few sprigs of basil. basil.

Calabrian Mparrettati

Can't you already smell the aroma? Let's not waste any more time and see together, step by step, how to prepare the mparrettati with fresh tomato sauce:

Ingredients for 4 people)

  • 500 g of durum wheat semolina flour
  • Water (as needed)

For the dressing

Preparation

  • Sift the flour and place it in a mound on a pastry board. Make a well in the center and gradually pour in the water. This is the amount needed to obtain a smooth, compact, and non-sticky dough (it shouldn't be soft).
  • Once you have the dough, form a long roll, divide it into pieces and make small pasta sticks like the one you see in the picture.

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  • Break the loaf into many small pieces.
  • Roll one piece of dough at a time around the wire and slide it back and forth on the pastry board to thin and lengthen it. Remove the wire and repeat with all the remaining pieces of dough.
  • From time to time, line up the resulting dough on a lightly floured tea towel.

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  • The pasta doesn't need to rest, but you can prepare it ahead of time, even the day before, depending on your needs, and then cook it.

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  • Cook the pasta in salted water for about 10 minutes.
  • Dress the pasta with the fresh sauce and garnish with a few basil leaves. If you like, garnish the dish with Parmigiano Reggiano or ricotta salata. If you choose the latter, however, be careful with the amount of salt: use less when cooking the pasta.

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